Running
by Colagirlsc
Summary: My response for OQ Week day 1: Bandit Regina and Outlaw Robin AU. Regina has an unfortunate run-in with Queen Snow and comes away injured. As much as she wants to be able to handle it herself, it turns out that her worst competition can be her saving grace.


**~Author's Note~**

 **This is an Outlaw Queen AU for the first day of Outlaw Queen week 3! Italics is for thoughts.**

 **I don't own anything.**

Regina ran.

She didn't even stop to look back to see if Queen Snow had sent her lackey after her. She just ran.

It was just her luck that the Queen happened to be in that carriage. _Idiot. I should have done a better job of scouting the location_.

And now she was running for her life, trying to ignore the stinging in her hand and the burn on her shoulder.

After running for a while, Regina realized that she wasn't being followed. She collapsed against a tree and inspected her wounds. Her hand wasn't too bad; she just needed to keep it from getting infected.

Her shoulder, on the other hand, was bad. She could smell the burned hair and clothing and gently touched her skin.

"Shit," Regina cursed under her breath. She couldn't see it completely but she could tell that there were layers of skin gone. Her breathing was heavy and her chest still ached from where the Queen had started to crush her heart. She needed to get back to her camp.

Regina slowly stood up and surveyed the woods around her. She knew these woods like the back of her hand, and yet this section seemed unfamiliar. She carefully listened to see if she could hear running water. She heard the bubbling of a small stream so she headed in that direction, figuring she might be able to orient herself from there and wash her wounds.

She found the creek and sat down next to it. She took a moment to drink some water before tending to her wounds. Her hand stung when she washed it off, but it wasn't too bad. She knew that splashing water on her shoulder wouldn't be a good idea, so she tore a section off of her shirt and wet it.

She gritted her teeth and cleaned it as best as she could and then wrapped it in the cloth. Tears filled her eyes from the pain but she pushed through it. She had known pain. She could do it.

After taking a moment to regain her composure, she started walking downstream. Before too long she started to worry. She didn't want to admit it, but she was lost.

 _How the hell am I lost in these woods? I've lived here for so long._ A shooting pain tore through her shoulder and arm and she tried to breath through the pain.

Regina realized that it was getting dark. _Should I keep walking or should I stay here and make camp? If I keep walking I might find camp, but I also might make things worse. If I stop here I can give myself a rest._

She scouted the area and found a small cave near the stream that appeared to be empty. Regina curled up and tried to get warm. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she was scared. She was lost and injured. And she knew that if she didn't treat her wounds soon, especially her shoulder, they would get infected.

Regina tried to push those thoughts from her mind and leaned up next to the wall. She tried to stay awake to guard herself against danger, but her body betrayed her and she fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

The sun had barely risen and Robin had already lost track of Roland. _That boy sure knows how to sneak away._ Then he smiled. _Gets it from me_.

Robin headed down to the stream nearby. He knew that it was one of Roland's favorite spots. He liked it too. It was peaceful. Serene. A good place to think. And Roland liked trying to catch tadpoles and newts.

Sure enough, Robin rounded the corner of the stream to see Roland entering a cave where he often found newts. But then he heard a scream and took off towards the cave.

"Papa!" Roland cried. "There's a lady in my cave!"

Robin pushed Roland out of the way and told him to stay back. Then he slowly approached the cave.

Once his eyes adjusted to the dark, he could make out the form of a woman curled up on the ground.

"Excuse me, milady," he said. No response. "Are you alright?" Still no response. Robin crouched next to her and went to shake her shoulder. But right as his hand was about to touch it he realized that her body was radiating heat, and it seemed to be concentrated on her shoulder. He squinted his eyes and gasped when he saw the burn that covered her entire left shoulder.

"Milady," he said with more urgency. "Are you alright?" When she still didn't respond, he made a split decision and lifted the woman as best he could in the confined space and brought her outside.

Roland was standing with a concerned look on his little face.

"Who's she, papa?" he asked. "Is she still sleeping?"

"Yes, Roland," Robin responded. "And I'm going to take her to camp so she can be more comfortable while she sleeps. Can you go tell Little John that I'm coming?" That wasn't a complete lie, but Robin didn't have time to explain the situation to the young boy.

Roland smiled and said, "Yes sir!" before taking off towards camp.

Robin followed, but much more slowly. He didn't know exactly what was wrong with the woman but she was obviously injured and he didn't want to aggravate anything further.

He was met at the edge of camp by Little John, who ushered them into an empty tent. When Robin set the woman down, he gasped. Little John recognized her as well.

"Its Regina," Little John said. "Your competition." Robin couldn't stop looking at Regina's pale skin against her dark hair.

"We will help her," Robin insisted and moved to get a better look at her shoulder. Regina would periodically whimper or shiver but she was still unconscious. After examining her shoulder for a moment, he turned to Little John.

"There is only one thing I know of that can cause burns like this: the Queen's fireballs. She must have gotten caught somehow. But these are bad. I need some clean water, cloths, and healing herbs. Quickly."

Little John went to gather the needed materials. Robin pushed Regina's hair back from her forehead and felt how warm and sweaty she was.

"Shit," he murmured under his breath. She had a fever, which meant that her wounds were infected. He searched her as best he could while still maintaining her modesty and only found a cut across her hand.

Robin looked back at the woman lying in front of him. He had only met her once and he remembered being impressed by her abilities if not annoyed by her sarcasm and quips. She was certainly feisty. But that hadn't seemed to help her here. Robin wondered what she could have gotten herself into to end up like this.

Little John returned with the herbs and mixed a poultice to put on her hand and shoulder. Just like he suspected, as soon as the mixture touched her shoulder she jolted up and tried to fight him.

"Stay calm, milady," Robin said, trying to push her back down. "I know it hurts but its for your own good." He looked to Little John, who quickly moved up to keep Regina's torso still.

Although she still resisted being held down, Robin was able to quickly and effectively bandage her shoulder and hand. Once he was done, he let go and watched as Regina lay breathing heavily and with tears on her cheeks.

Her eyes finally focused on his face and he saw the recognition.

"Robin Hood," she whispered.

"Yes, milady."

"What happened? I was running and then I found a cave and then…well…its fuzzy."

"We found you this morning unconscious in the cave. Your wounds are infected and you were unconscious. We brought you here to help."

"I don't need your help," Regina said and started to rise from the cot until pain forced her back down. "Well. I might need your help some but I'm fine." Robin looked at her with an amused look on his face.

"Yes, milady," Robin replied, although his words had a bit more sarcasm this time. There was the sass he remembered. "I know you are the competition but I will not allow an injured woman to go without aid. And you, even if you don't want to admit it, are an injured woman." Regina rolled her eyes and then cringed when she accidently moved her shoulder.

"Just rest," Robin told her, handing her a cup of water. "I'll be back to check on you and rewrap your wounds soon." He saw her lie back on the cot and her eyes begin to close, so he walked out of the tent. Just as he pulled back the flap at the entrance, he heard a whisper so soft that he didn't even know if he was supposed to hear it.

"Thank you."

Robin smiled.

 **I'd be up for continuing this if anybody is interested. Review and let me know!**


End file.
